Devi Munisami to face the music in the Equality Courts over ‘faggot’ comment

An LGBT hate speech case in the Equality Court in Johannesburg will be heard soon against Devi Munisami of Silverglen, Chatsworth.

Munisami thought it was well within her rights to belittle his sexual status on social media. Her exact words were, “A faggot with a mouth.”

Munisami who holds a number of various profiles on Facebook took to harassing social media users personally via Facebook Messenger attempting to thwart the situation she faces. Munisami goes on to claim a series of various versions of why she called Khan a ‘faggot.’

“Taking into context that Cabinet passed the Hate Crimes Bill last month, this is perfect timing,” says Khan. “Vicky Momberg went to jail for what she said and it’s time that Devi learned a lesson.”

OUT’s Love Not Hate Campaign and the Center for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria have agreed to assist him in taking Munisami to the Equality Court over her comments.

He believes that comments like the ones allegedly made by Munisami can fuel more hatred against the LGBT community and could lead to “someone actually harming an LGBT person”.

Khan has stated, “I have sufficient proof that will expose her for homophobe that she is and I want her to be made an example of. She will be the poster girl for future homophobes and I want this case to be a deterrent from any other individual calling a homosexual a ‘faggot.’

Devi Munisami, allegedly made a number of derogatory references to Khan’s sexuality.

“Naufal Khan, he needs a couple of women to drag him out of his comfort zone…” she is reported to have said, adding, “I must give him my grandmother’s panties so he can act like one.”

When Khan called her out on her homophobia, Munisami allegedly responded by describing him as: “A f****t with a mouth.”

Munisami appears to have previously published homophobic comments online, including, for example, stating that “gay marriages have more rights than a baby’s right to life”.

“Munisami and others fail to realise that the South African constitution protects not only heterosexuals but everyone in this country. If she believes she will get off on a light charge she has another thing coming and I will stick to this case and make sure it will be one she will never forget,” said Khan.

In another post on March 29 2018 she posted,

Gay marriages have more rights than a babys right to life ! – Devi Munisami

Devi Munisami failed to realised that her insult to Khan qualifies as hate speech.

“The qualifying criteria for hate speech must now include a clear intention to be harmful or to incite harm or promote or propagate hatred “on the basis of age, albinism, birth, color, culture, disability, ethnic or social origin, gender or gender identity, HIV status, language, nationality, migrant or refugee status, race, religion, or sex, which includes intersex or sexual orientation”.

Section 10 of the Act, the Prohibition of Hate Speech, reads: “No person may publish, propagate, advocate or communicate words based on one or more of the prohibited grounds, against any person, that could reasonably be construed to demonstrate a clear intention to be hurtful, be harmful or to incite harm [and/or] promote or propagate hatred.”

“I have engaged my legal counsel to proceed with the matter and I won’t back down. The other reason for my action is that I want the LGBTi community to know that you DO have a voice and there are options to you to protect yourself from hate speech and much more”

Mambaonline’s coverage of the incident has fuelled an overwhelming amount of support and I am grateful for the encouragement from the LGBTi community. – Khan

If you have been the victim of a hate crime, you have the right to seek justice, you can reach out to ‘Love Not Hate’ they are here to help.

Love not Hate aims to counter this situation by providing a coordinated response to hate crimes. The programme works to educate service providers and the public, while also helping survivors to overcome some of the structural barriers preventing them from accessing help. This includes assisting LGBTI persons to report incidents of violence and to navigate the justice system, as well as tracking hate crimes using a standardized documentation system.